VATICAN CITY
Associated Press
February 10, 2020
Pope Francis will visit the Mediterranean island nation of Malta on May 31, the Vatican said Monday, confirming the Pope’s first foreign trip for the year.
Other rumored trips for Francis include a visit to Indonesia and East Timor in the second half of 2020.
Malta’s top two church leaders are very close to the Pope, and have echoed his concerns about the plight of migrants, families experiencing difficulties and the need to combat sexual abuse.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna is the Vatican’s longtime sex crimes prosecutor who helped turn Francis around on the issue after the Argentine pope botched his handling of the abuse scandal in Chile. Scicluna is based in Valletta but also retains a senior position in the Vatican office that handles abuse cases.
Bishop Mario Grech heads the Catholic Church on the Maltese island of Gozo. He was named by Francis last year to take over the Vatican office that coordinates the synod of bishops, the meetings to debate matters of importance to the church.
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